


Survival of the Fittest

by funnygirlthatbelle13



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Blood, Camping, Cuddling, Gen, Nightmares, Puking Blood, Survival, Vomit, internal bleeding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 11:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20759576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funnygirlthatbelle13/pseuds/funnygirlthatbelle13
Summary: When the Nein are ambushed, Caleb ends up saving Caduceus’ life, nearly getting himself killed and separating them from the group in the process. It’s up to an injured Cad to keep the two of them alive long enough for the others to find them, but Caleb isn’t making this task any easier.





	Survival of the Fittest

Caduceus watched as the eagle fell, turning into Caleb as he plummeted to the ground. He ran, trying to track where the wizard would fall. Thank Melora the eagle had dropped him, he thought. Caleb crumpled to the ground under a large pine. Caduceus cast Spare the Dying as he got close enough to his friend. 

Caleb looked terrible, covered in large, bloody gashes. Several bruises were already blooming across his skin. Limbs were bent unnaturally, and bones were definitely broken. 

Caduceus began to prepare a healing spell, but stopped. They were alone. He had no idea how far away the others were. Caleb was massively injured. Caduceus was mostly fine, but very, very tired. He would not have enough in him to heal Caleb up all the way. And then he wouldn’t be able to help defend them. Caduceus wasn’t smart, but he wasn’t stupid, either. He knew a bad idea when he saw one.

He cast a low-level Cure Wounds, but Caleb did not stir. With anyone else that might have been concerning, but Caduceus knew that this wasn’t out of the ordinary. Caleb often felt pain on a deeper level, and sometimes, he simply needed to rest. 

“Alright, Mr. Caleb, what are we gonna do now?” he asked with a sigh, sitting down next to his unconscious friend. 

Much to his surprise, the man stirred slightly.

“Mr. Caleb?” he tried to stir him again, “Mr. Caleb?”

The semiconscious wizard finally opened his eyes. 

“Do you think you can make the dome for us?” 

Because that changes everything, he thought.

A trembling arm braced itself as Caleb attempted to sit up. Caduceus ended up doing most of the heavy lifting, propping Caleb up so he was all but sitting on his lap. Though he probably would have done that, too, if he thought Caleb would be alright with it. 

The spell book had barely hit the forest floor when Caleb lost consciousness once more, his head landing squarely in Caduceus’ lap.

“Well, that’s not great,” the firbolg muttered. 

Caduceus looked around, beginning to take stock of the situation and their surroundings. 

He had no idea how far away from the others they were, or in which direction they would be. The giant eagle had rescued him from the jaws of death, but in the process, they’d lost the rest of the Nein. The forest was one of pine, conifers that thrive in the cold. The air was chilly, and while it wasn’t currently snowing, he couldn’t rule it out in the near future. He could hear the babbling brook they’d rested by earlier. 

Alright. He knew what to do. He just hoped that their friends would be able to find them soon. 

*

Caduceus sighed with satisfaction as he finished his final bandage on Caleb. Though he hesitated to use healing spells, that didn’t mean he couldn’t be a healer. He smiled, glancing around the hideout he’d created for them. Under one of the larger pine trees, he’d dug a moat of sorts for them to hide in. The lower branches protected them from the outside world, and the stream was only a few hundred feet away. 

Now he just had to wait for a message from Jester. 

“Bitte,” Caleb muttered in his sleep/unconsciousness. Caduceus placed a hand on the smaller man’s forehead. No fever. Maybe it was just a bad dream? Or maybe a good one. He hoped it was a good dream. 

Caduceus turned to bandaging his own arm, humming something gentle under his breath as he worked. But that didn’t take long, and then, he was left alone with just his thoughts and a bloodied, battered wizard. 

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He was never alone, truly. Should he pray now? There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger; what could go wrong? He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he focused on the Wildmother’s presence all around them. 

Mother, thank you for allowing us to take refuge within the boughs of your-

A loud gasp shattered his concentration as his eyes shot open. He didn’t have to search long for the source as Caleb was staring at him, his breathing sharp and irregular. 

“Easy, easy,” Caduceus whispered, “It’s just me. You’ve been hurt pretty bad today.” 

“The others?” Caleb asked with a slight wince as he pushed himself into a sitting position. 

“No idea. We got separated. Easy there,” he added as he helped the wizard lean against the tree, already seemingly exhausted from his small movement. “What do you remember?”

“We were ambushed,” Caleb responded after a while, “Twenty to seven, or something like that. Yasha was fighting four at once. I turned into… an eagle?” he paused to clear his throat, “Do we have, uh, do we have any water?”

Caduceus pulled out a recently filled waterskin, handing it to Caleb.

“There you go. We’re right by-“ he cut himself off with a cry. The water had barely touched Caleb’s lips, but it seemed to trigger something in him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as Caleb fainted, blood spurting out of his mouth as he went down.

“Mr. Caleb!” he cried, “Mr. Caleb, Mr. Caleb?”

“Was?” Caleb moaned, opening his eyes, “What’s-what’s going on?”

“You’re bleeding out, Mr. Caleb. I need to heal you.”

“Nein,” Caleb whispered, “Save your spells. I-I can’t help fight if we get attacked.” 

“Mr. Caleb,” Caduceus protested weakly, running fingers through the wizard’s blood-soaked hair.

“I will be alright, my tall friend,” Caleb said with a smile, “Just let me rest until our friends find us, ja?”

“Can we at least clean you up?” 

Caleb chuckled at that, something weak and strained and real. The wizard mumbled a quiet thanks when handed a rag and began to wipe the blood off of his chin. Caduceus busied himself with removing the small blood clots from his shirt.

“Do you know how late it is?” he asked

“Ja, it’s been nearly… four hours since we were ambushed.

Four hours. Assuming they’d survived, by now the others surely had given up looking for them to set up camp for the night. He could imagine Fjord, doing his best to convince the others to stop. And Beau would be upset, but agree. Nott would hurl some insult at them, as Yasha did her best to be soothing and Jester assuring them that everything would be okay. 

Normally, he would agree with imaginary Jester, but Caleb looked absolutely terrible. Part of him wanted to heal him regardless of what the wizard wanted, but that felt too much like a breach of trust.

“Jester will send us a message soon,” Caleb assured him. Caduceus smiled. Was his concern that obvious? 

“Yeah, we’ll be just fine,” he said with a smile. Caleb reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. 

“Get some rest, Mr. Caleb,” Caduceus murmured, “I’ll wake you up when Jester messages.” 

“Ja, okay,” he muttered, laying back down. 

They stayed in silence for quite some time, Caduceus observing as Caleb fell back asleep. His friend was naturally pale, but now, Caleb looked like a vampire. Was he going to be alright if he waited for a sign? Was it a mistake to sit, waiting for signs that may never come? Well, he had doubted waiting for a sign once before, but he had gotten his sign in the end. But now that his sign was one well-aimed punch away from death… 

Caleb’s head lolled slightly as a faint moan escaped his lips. Caduceus couldn’t help but smile as he brushed fiery hair out of his friend’s face. 

“It’s all good, Mr. Caleb,” he said, hoping that it wasn’t a lie.

“Molly?”

Oh. He knew that his friends still missed their original friend, the friend he’d replaced. But every once in a while, he was reminded that he was not the group’s first choice in so many ways. It was a foolish thought, and Caduceus knew that, but it didn’t stop him from being occasionally jealous of the dead circus man. 

But there was no time for that, not when his and Caleb’s lives were potentially at risk. So instead, he took the wizard’s hand in his much larger one and was surprised by how by how cold it was.

“Alright, fuck this, Mr. Caleb,” he muttered, “I’m healing you whether you like it or not.” 

And with that, he cast another low-level Cure Wounds. It didn’t make Caleb any warmer, but a little bit of color returned to his friend’s face. Hopefully that would be enough to keep Caleb’s blood where it was supposed to be. With the knowledge that Caleb was, if not okay, at least a little further from the brink of death, Caduceus was able to fall into a light slumber.

A cry erupted from their hideout, jolting him awake. 

“Feur,” Caleb mumbled. He was curled into a ball, his face scrunched up as if he were in pain. 

“Nein, Lehrer, bitte,” Caleb muttered, “Bitte.” 

“You’re alright,” Caduceus whispered, “You’re alright, sh, sh.”

He rolled so that he was wrapped around Caleb.

“Sh, it’s alright, you’re alright,” he whispered, “You’re safe now.” 

Caleb whined slightly, nuzzling into his chest. 

“There, there, I’ve got you,” he whispered, “You’re good.”

The human cuddled in closer to him, pressing his head into his chest like if he let go, Caduceus would disappear.

“I’m right here, Mr. Caleb. I’m not going anywhere.” 

They stayed like that for a long time, Caleb cuddling up to him, Caduceus murmuring quiet affirmations until he fell asleep. 

“CADUCEUS!!! Where are you? Are you guys okay? We’ve been trying to find you guys, but we were pretty roughed up yesterday. See you soon?”

Caduceus smiled as he woke up to Jester’s message.

“Hey, Jester. We’re doing… okay. Caleb’s pretty hurt, though. We’re hidden under a tree by the brook. I think we went east? He’s hurting real bad.”

Well, Caduceus thought, they’d been contacted. Now, they just had to wait. 

“Mr. Caleb,” he muttered, shaking the sleeping wizard, “Mr. Caleb, I’ve heard from Jester.”

Caleb stirred.

“Are the others alright?” he mumbled blearily as he sat up.

“She sounded worried, but I think that’s just cuz of us.”

Caleb nodded solemnly before letting out a yawn. Caduceus observed his friend for a moment. He didn’t look quite as pale and clammy as he had the night before, but Caleb was still far from looking healthy. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked. Caleb smiled.

“I’ve-I’ve been better. I have also been a lot worse.”

Caduceus chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Do you think you can eat something without getting sick again?”

Caleb sat there, thinking it over for a while, before nodding.

“Okay, but… go slow.”

He did exactly that, slowly nibbling on a couple crackers from their rations, taking tiny, tentative sips of water every once in a while. About halfway through his second cracker, Caleb paused to snap his fingers.

“Hallo, Frumpkin,” he murmured to his cat, burying his head into the creature’s fur. Caduceus couldn’t help but smile at the sight, both because it was sweet and because it was so much more successful than the previous day’s attempt at spellcasting. 

“It’s eight o’clock,” Caleb said, though it was slightly muffled by Frumpkin’s fur. 

They stayed like that for quite some time; Caleb munching on crackers, cuddling with Frumpkin, and occasionally calling out the time; Caduceus meditating and changing bandages once they got too bloody. 

Not long after Caleb had announced that it was eleven o’clock, he cocked his head with a smile.

“Ja, I can hear you,” he said. 

“Nott?” Caduceus asked. 

“Ja, they are very close.” 

Caleb poofed Frumpkin away and got on his hands and knees. 

“Shall we?” 

Caduceus followed him, blinking rapidly as they crawled out from under the tree. The sun was reflecting off of the fresh snow like diamonds. 

“There they are!” Beau shouted. 

Caduceus’ vision had barely adjusted to the light before he was completely surrounded by his friends. 

“Are you guys okay?” “That’s a lot of blood.” “Caleb, what were you thinking?” “Let’s get them in the cart.”

Compared to the near silence that he’d experienced with Caleb, the chatter of the rest of the Nein was a lot to process. 

“Can you stand?” Fjord asked, staring intently at the both of them. 

“I’m fine.” 

Caduceus stood, wobbling slightly as if to undermine his point. Fjord placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. Beside them, Yasha scooped Caleb up into her arms. 

With the whole of the Mighty Nein around them, they made their way to the cart. 

“I’m gonna heal you guys up so good,” Jester said, sitting down next to them on the cart. 

“Let me,” Caduceus said firmly.

“But, Caduceus-“

“Please,” he said, gritting his teeth in pain, “Let me do this.” 

Jester nodded, and Caduceus cast with all his power. And just like that, Caleb’s wounds closed, his cheeks flushed, and he sat up straighter, seemingly invigorated.

“Danke,” Caleb said with a smile.

“Here, now let me heal you,” Jester said. Grabbing his arm, she whispered a spell. He felt the familiar sensation of magical healing. 

“Thanks, Jester.”

She smiled, patting his arm and jumping out of the cart.

“Are we ready to go?” Fjord asked, jumping on top of one of the horses.

“Ja, lets go,” Caleb muttered. 

They set off, and Caduceus was surprised by how instantly his tension released. The sound of the horses, the rumbling of the cart underneath them, the sound of Jester humming gently, the familiar scent of the group; it was all a comfort he hadn’t realized he’d gotten used to.

Evidently, Caleb felt the same way, as he was already falling asleep. Caduceus smiled to himself. 

“Hey, Caduceus?”

Nott had gotten really good at sneaking around; he hadn’t even heard her climb up next to him. 

“Hey,” he said with a smile. She seemed nervous, twisting the hem of her dress in her hands. She glanced over at the now-sleeping Caleb. 

“Thank you for taking care of him,” she mumbled, “I-I appreciate you keeping him safe.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” he said. 

“It must have been difficult-you were very smart to hide under that tree like that.” 

“Wow,” he said, “Thank you, Nott. That means a lot to me.”

Truthfully, he couldn’t remember the last time someone had called him smart. His smile only widened as he saw her warm smile looking up at him as one hand fished around her bag. Eventually, she pulled out a hydrangea, reaching up to twist it into his hair.

“Thank you, Duecey,” she whispered, and up close, he could see tears reflecting in her eyes. Awkwardly, he patted her tiny shoulder as she sniffled.

“Um, yeah,” she mumbled, taking a sip from her flask, “Thanks.” 

And with that, Nott scurried across the cart to Caleb, placing his head on her lap. Caduceus watched with a smile as she began to braid some small daisies into his hair. The hydrangea fell out of his hair and onto his lap. Glancing between the flower and his friends, he felt a warmth spread throughout his body that he usually associated with the Wildmother’s watching eye.

He’d done good.


End file.
